In Another Life
by AuroraLilac
Summary: She was the idealized and promising shieldmaiden of their generation while he was a disgraced runt disowned by his own father. No one could ever have anticipated a scandalous pregnancy as a possible outcome. A 'What if Hiccup never shot Toothless down' AU. Hiccstrid (sans Toothless) short-story.
1. Prologue

O-o-O

It was cold and breezy outside. She hugged herself while she waited for the door to open.

The forge was always warm and welcoming to her. For one fleeting moment, she forgot her worries and distress, embracing the serene atmosphere with a light exhale as a fur cloak was draped around her shoulders.

"You looked cold."

"Thanks," she mumbled, brushing loose tendrils away from her eyes. They always got in the way, blocking her vision to the point it sometimes affected her perception. She briefly considered cutting them so she could always stay clear-sighted.

He regarded her carefully, even after all that had transpired between them he never expected or assumed anything. It used to not bother her but today it did.

"Why are you standing so far away?" she asked softly, trying to mask the annoyance she felt.

He shrugged, taking a few steps closer upon her request. The fire from the forge illuminated the whole room and even though their shadows appeared to be touching, reality gave a whole different impression.

Astrid decided to change that.

Strange unfamiliar nervousness welled up inside her as she reached for his calloused hands. It was rare for her to appear this vulnerable but then again, she had never expected to end up in her current predicament. A predicament of her own choosing nonetheless.

"Will you hold me?" she whispered in a small voice, so very unlike her usual self.

Lanky, thin arms wrapped around her, pulling her into warmth and safety. She closed her eyes, melting against him.

He may not be like other Vikings; branded the runt of the village, disowned by his own father and shunned out by his tribe. But in moments like these, away from everyone else, he was none of the above. He was her escape from the madness and the only boy she could ever tolerate touching her.

Astrid sometimes wondered how it came down to this, getting herself entangled with the most disgraced Viking in all of the Archipelago.

He never made it in dragon training, bested out by his own cousin, while she was at top of the game and had earned the title of the most promising Viking of her generation.

Looking back, she recalled how much his presence used to annoy her but not nearly as much as his sudden absence did. Because, how dare he! How dare he just give in to defeat like that. While at the same time, an inner voice reminded her; hadn't this been exactly what she had wanted? To him to get out of her way?

These conflicting emotions had been the source of many sleepless nights. She started to resent him for occupying her every thought. And why him of all people, _especially him_?

She had never cared what other people did but unfortunately for her, Hiccup Haddock was not like other people. He was a league of his own.

He was the outcast in his own tribe despite being the son of the Chief. He was an immensely skilled and inventive blacksmith but lacked the skills to use the weapons he spent so much time and effort on. He was fairly intelligent, she even heard he could read and speak foreign languages, but his opinions held no value within their tribe. Most of all, he was kind-hearted, humble and unassuming despite being a recipient of prejudice, injustice and negligence. He didn't even have a real family save for Gobber.

Gobber who had been like family to herself as well when she had no one else to turn to... until.. until _him_.

This realization did not come overnight but somewhere down the road, she became.. tired. Of all the guilt looming inside her, the lack of hope for a better tomorrow but most of all.. the endless expectations placed upon her shoulders. And everything she had learned and been taught just didn't make sense anymore.

What did it matter that she was a Shieldmaiden when she couldn't stand up for the injustice happening before her own eyes? How could she make the tribe realize their wrongdoings? The Chief, his hypocrisy? He always said a Chief protects his own, but wasn't Hiccup his own?

Maybe she had only sought out an escape from all the chaos around her or it was merely a consequence of a head-injury. Or even, as fearful she was to admit it out loud, by her own sober decision. Her own choice.

All that mattered in the end was one thing. Somewhere, somehow.. she had warmed up to the misunderstood Hiccup Haddock.

And now here she was.. pregnant with his child, at only eighteen.

Her fingers curled over the back of his tunic as she squeezed her eyes shut to keep tears at bay. She knew she couldn't hide this for long.

O-o-O

 **A/N: 3-4 chapters at most. Don't worry Toothless lovers, he will join in later on. There will always be a Hiccup and Toothless.**


	2. Part I

O-o-O

The town was burning. Smoke and debris filled up the air, making it difficult to breathe.

Astrid coughed as she rushed towards fresh air and greenery. Glancing behind, she noticed the exhausted figures of the villagers following suit.

The main attacks were coming from somewhere above, but they could never truly make out the second source. This dragon, allegedly a _Night Fury_ , blended in with the night, making itself invisible to the human eye.

Astrid could feel all eyes resting on her, scrutinizing her every move as she planned out her next actions.

She was the chosen one, after all. The promising Shieldmaiden meant to end this raging war. The one who had been given the honor to kill the Monstrous Nightmare in her final round of Dragon Training, and she likely would have succeeded had all the dragons somehow not managed to escape today.

The terror lasted until next sunrise began peaking through the clouds. It was only after the first morning hours she could breathe normally for a moment.

The dragons had finally taken off but left Berk behind in all but ruins.

The villagers were quick to voice their dismay over the losses and destruction, and it was now up to the Chief to step in and calm the situation.

"It's been a long night. Tonight we will all will stay in the Great Hall. Tomorrow we will start rebuilding," he ended up announcing in the midst of all the furious chatter. Drained to the core, the villagers did not protest too hard.

From the corner of her eye, Astrid spotted the shape of Hiccup Haddock standing behind Gobber, staring into distance with emotionless eyes.

 _The Chief's outcast son._

Once upon a time the heir of their tribe, but now a mere blacksmith without a real title. He always stood far away from everyone else. She couldn't remember the last time they had spoken. It must have been months since she had visited the forge, having held a slight grudge against him ever since he withdrew from Dragon Training without further notice. The fact that he just given up so easily still irked her but at the same it was probably for the better for everyone that he stuck to something that he excelled in.

Astrid shook her head and headed towards the forest to collect some wood for the evening.

-O-

Another year passed without much, if any, progress.

Astrid would be sixteen soon and she was already starting to feel the new expectations being set upon her.

Berk still had faith, everyone still believed she would be the one to save them. And Astrid attempted to stay hopeful, pushing herself forward both mentally and physically with extra hours of training and staying up to study warfare and tactics after everyone else retired to bed.

But there was also something else driving her to work even harder and challenge herself further. She had to prove them right. She had to stay on top, or otherwise she would.. she would fall, and she couldn't afford to do that. She had do stay strong for her family. They depended on her.. _Berk_ depended on her.

Astrid grabbed her axe and headed for the gates, deciding to get more supplies while she could. The villagers would be grateful for it, surely.

Everyone had yet again sought shelter inside the Meade Hall. This time it wasn't because of any dragon attack but a blizzard that was predicted to last through three days. For safety reasons, everyone had been evacuated from their huts.

The storm was already brewing as she sauntered down the big stairs.

Astrid headed straight for her house when the wind suddenly blew harder, making her lose her footing and slip on the ice. She instantly regretted her decision to have made this trip as snow now scooped inside her clothes.

Dusting her furs, she attempted to stand up, but found herself tripping over something and falling flat on her back. Now that the sun had descended, it was darker and infinitely more difficult to see.

Astrid forced herself on her knees and almost crawled towards the nearest shelter she could find. But the Gods were merciless tonight. Her foot got stuck again and she found herself weightless before her body seemingly collided against something.. or rather someone.

She could make out forest green eyes frowning at her in concern before darkness consumed her entire being and she went limp.

-O-

She could feel warmth tickle her face as she slowly opened her eyes, finding herself staring into an unfamiliar fireplace. Her head pounded for some reason and as she attempted to sit up, sharp pain flared though the back of head.

She lifted her hands up to touch the spot and found it bandaged.

"You hit your head pretty hard," a soft voice murmured.

She looked up in surprise. "W-wh.." her mouth felt dry. Hiccup offered her his flask of water and she accepted without further thought. "Thanks."

Hissing in pain she forced herself upright and leaned against what seemed to be the lower end of a headboard.

"... why aren't you in the Great Hall?" she whispered. Nothing was making sense at the moment.

She heard him snort. "It's not as if anyone notices if I'm there or not." Not entirely true. She did notice.. sometimes.

"It's dangerous to.. to stay here in this weather," she frowned at him. "Why do you never follow the simplest orders? You could be ki-"

"Why do you care?" he snapped.

Astrid opened her mouth to speak, but the words died in her throat. She instead glanced across the room, taking in the incarnate details. There was a cot, a desk and drawings hangings on the walls. For first time, she noticed she was sitting on top of a soft pelt by the small fireplace. She had been here before with Gobber, except it had been different..

"You.. live here," she stated in surprise. "You don't live with your-"

"No."

She glanced at his face and couldn't help but notice the spark in his eyes was gone despite how youthful he still looked. His face was so unreadable.

"For..how long?"

He shrugged. "Does it matter?"

He was right. It didn't. But it probably should.

They remained silent as day descended into night and Astrid felt her eyelids grow heavy under the sound of wood cracking over the fire and the wind howling outside.

It was strangely harmonious.

-O-

When she woke up again she found herself lying on a soft mattress. Her head was still aching but much of the pain had faded within hours. She wondered if her family had sent out a search party for her.

Slowly she raised herself up and swung her legs over to sit at the edge of the bed.

The snowstorm seemed to have reached a new height as the timbers of the roof were now visibly trembling. Astrid stood up on wobbly legs to relit the fire in the fireplace when she nearly tripped over the sleeping form of Hiccup on the floor.

She paused for a moment, glancing between his shivering body and the warm bed she rose from.

She suddenly felt like a stranger in her own body, looking from the outside in.

 _Hiccup Haddock had saved her life._

She probably would have been dead right now had he not found her, and it would have been all but her own fault.

And then she had the audacity of accusing _him_ of not following orders when she had done exactly the same. Defying her Chief because.. because she wanted to stay on top and not end up a failure in the village's eyes.. the way Hiccup had.

The same Hiccup who had saved her life..

O-o-O


End file.
